The Zanpakuto With a Code of Iron
by Majin Blues
Summary: Ichigo never had Zangetsu. Instead his zanpakuto is the legendary deadman that toppled a mafia syndicate by his own hands. Would the Bleach universe be able to withstand the might of the 'Number One Protector' and the man who lived, breathed, and died for the 'Code of Iron.'


Ichigo was no longer at the bottom of a pit but rather he was standing on impossibly tall tower of a building. To say he was overwhelmed wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration. "What the hell?! Where am I?!" The orange haired soul yelled with no small amount of fear.

Though he wasn't able to sense reiatsu like Uryuu he still felt the presence from behind him. Cautiously he turned around to see a man in a strange get up, he stood in a black suit with crimson lining, white undone dress shirt, and single pair of glasses but a single lens was solid black with a white cross on it. The two stared at one another for a moment before the structure became unstable.

"What is happening now," Ichigo yells as he stumbles to keep his footing.

"This world... its crumbling," the figure stated.

Blinking in confusion, the teen would have pegged the man to be mute or something similar to that. Shaking his clear to clear his thoughts Ichigo was about to ask where he was.

"This... is a reflection... of your soul." the figure spoke again. "To stop the destruction of it... you must become a Soul Reaper."

"I thought that the Shinigami cut off my power."

The figure shook his head in disagreement. "Just Rukia's." Ichigo frowned as he tried to piece it together then nodded as he understood what the man was saying. "Call my name... and restore your power."

"I don't know your name," Ichigo cried out as the structure collapsed beneath him causing both individuals to start falling though the man seemed to take it all in stride.

"I see," he frowned. The two plummeted towards the darkness below. "You have one chance," the figure stated. "Find the box that presents your power... only then will you become a Soul Reaper."

As if out of nowhere hundreds of boxes appeared before them. Ichigo frantically looked around at the sheer number before them. He tried remembering something that he heard from the 'last Quincy' regarding reiatsu.

 _A Shinigami's soul ribbon is red..._

Smirking the teen put all of his effort in discerning the soul properties of each box until found the one he was looking for.

*Kisuke's Third Step*

All Ichigo had to do was knock off the shop keeper's hat, he had no time limit to do so. But Ichigo grew confident as he had his own Shinigami powers. Kisuke, a man clad something similar to the Shinigami except it was olive green, a dark coat on top of that, a pair of geta, and that ridiculous hat agreed that the teen was stronger than he had been with Rukia's power. So when the teen stated he only needed five minutes Kisuke's care free attitude vanished.

"Oh is that so Ichigo? Then you better not hold back because if you do," the shop keeper paused as he drew sword from his cane, "you will die." Ichigo decided to call his bluff thinking that since he wasn't wielding a zanpakuto he couldn't be cut and quickly discovered how wrong that assessment was. "The reason I can cut your weapon is because it is dead. In your hands is the form of zanpakuto but not its soul. This is a reflection of your own stunted power."

Seeing this the teen hightailed it in the opposite direction all the while screaming at himself for being a coward.

 **Why do you run?**

 _I can't beat it!_

 **You have the power... Call for me...**

 _I don't know who you are!_

 **I have... been here all your life... I will tell you it one more time...**

Ichigo stopped mid step and faced the man who had been trying to kill him. "Sing Benihime," Kisuke shouted as a blast of crimson reiatsu zipped by the stock still teen by the narrowest of margins. "You quit running. Am I to assume that you have given up and are ready to die?"

"No, quite the opposite actually," the teen stated. "Don't think too badly of me, as I have never done this before." Ichigo placed the handle before him and instantly Kisuke could feel the difference in youth's power.

'That's right Ichigo. Show me your true strength,' Kisuke thought as watched in curiosity as the teen's reiatsu continued to keep growing to absurd levels.

 **What is you what?**

 _The power to protect_

 **Who do you protect?**

 _My friends and family_

 **Very well... Show him your power.**

 _Yes_

"Protect the Code of Iron... Beyond the Grave!" Ichigo recited and spectral whirlwind surrounded the new soul reaper as shades of black and crimson swirled within the storm. When it died down Kisuke almost let out a gasp as he expected the teen to be wearing some variation of a shihakousho however the orange haired teen did not. The teen stood in a black suit red trim, black glasses with a cross on each lens red and white, black dress shoes, and chains on his upper arms that connected to a coffin. What was more startling was the fact his zanpakuto wasn't a sword, spear, or anything that you might normally see but rather a pair oversized handguns.

'Bet those pack a punch,' The shop owner thought to himself.

"Oi, you better hold on to that hat because I'm going all out," Ichigo warned. Kisuke took it to heart as he created his blood mist shield. "Day of the Grave," he announced as he then proceeded to blast away the environment around them and the hiding spot of Tessai and his two helpers while doing a series of acrobatic maneuvers. The older man checked if his hat was still there though the condition of it left much to be desired.

"Yo Ichigo, the lesson was..."

"Not done yet Mr. Hat and Clogs." The soul reaper grinned as he announced his next attack, "Night of the Grave." Kisuke didn't understand until he saw Ichigo before him and tried to strike at him only for him to appear to his side. He attempted to correct his strike by redirecting the blow only to find his target was gone again. A second later he was able to keep up with the youth.

"That's an interesting technique," Kisuke commented to himself. He sent another blast from his cane turned sword caused the teen to smirk.

Ichigo whipped the coffin around which deflected the attack away, making Tessai to activate a barrier with his kido. Using the momentum he landed in front of the man with a grin. "Might want to put up that shield again," he said with a predatory grin. "Overkill Hellhound!" The coffin's head opened up to reveal three oversized missiles. Kisuke got half way through erecting the shield when the barrage collided head on with the older man.

 **I think you over did it.**

Ichigo observed the mushroom cloud he created. _Probably but somehow I think he deserved it._

The zanpakuto spirit wanted to argue but he believed his wielder's assessment was correct.


End file.
